You don't need me to tell you that exercise is a critical aspect to overall good health. The headlines are everywhere--we have a national crisis on our hands when it comes to our weight and our lack of activity. Take a close look around you…at the grocery store, at Target, at the gas station, at the library, at restaurants and in many cases take a good and honest look in the mirror. It's scary, it's overwhelming and it's sad…we are so out of control when it comes to our weight and this drastically affects the quality of our health.

But what is so darned liberating and exciting is that by beginning anywhere today, you can start moving and making a dent.

Make a commitment to take charge of your life and your health right now. Do it for yourself because you want to live a long and amazing life…do it for your children so that you can actually be around to enjoy them for a lifetime.

When you step in front of the mirror or on the scale, do you like what you see? Although the scale and the mirror should not be our Gods, they can definitely be our guideposts to good health…if you are willing to honestly assess what you see and make a choice to do something about it.

One way to take control is to get moving. If you want to live longer, age better, improve your mood, improve your levels of energy, tighten your arse, and reduce your reliance on prescription medications like cholesterol reducers, high blood pressure medication, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication and every other anti-something or other…then it is time to get up and off the couch.

Do not succumb to the feeling that things are too far gone to make a difference. With diabetes and heart disease escalating out of control, making a choice to get moving can literally mean the difference between life and death.

AND, if you find yourself using bad genetics as reason to succumb to being overweight then give yourself a swift kick in the backside. Because if you have bad genetics, it is all the more reason to get off of the couch and work even harder to ensure a long and healthy life. Genetics are not a sentence to be overweight…it is information that you can use wisely to live a healthy life.